国际英语新闻:ASEAN Community formally established: Malaysian FM

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- ASEAN Community is formally established on Thursday, which marks another significant milestone in ASEAN's history, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said in a statement.

He said that Malaysia warmly welcomes the establishment of the ASEAN Community, adding that it unwaveringly supports the further deepening of the community building and regional integration process and the implementation of the commitments made under the ASEAN Community's Post-2025 Vision-ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together.

The foreign minister said that Malaysia, as the rotating chairman of ASEAN, had successfully fulfilled its two main deliverables with the strong support and cooperation from the other ASEAN members, namely to establish the ASEAN Community and to develop ASEAN Community's Post-2025 Vision.

"Malaysia recognizes that the coming into being of the ASEAN Community does not mean that it has arrived towards the end of the community building process. In fact, this is just the beginning," Anifah said, adding that greater awareness of the ASEAN Community and involvement in the community building process by its people is vital in making the ASEAN Community a success.

ASEAN announced in November at its 27th summit that the ASEAN Community, comprising the Political and Security Community, the Economic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community, will be established on Dec. 31, 2015.